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Keywords: Chinese Canadian National Council ; National Congress of Chinese Canadians ; Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity ; Zhou, Minghui ; Huang, Jinhuan ; Guan, Xiangguo ; Shen, Mingli ; Wu, Xiangguang ; British Columbia Human Rights Coalition
人頭稅和解協議 平反團體抵制
平權會等質疑全加華人聯會代表性 呼籲苦主及家屬向聯邦施壓討回尊嚴
【本報記者吳祥光溫哥華報導】全加華人協進會（CCNC，平權會）及華裔加人平權共進會昨(20)曰在溫哥華舉行集會，呼籲人頭稅苦主、家屬和後代團結抗爭，矢志反對聯邦政府和另一華人團體全加華人聯會(NCCC)達成和解協議。
要求平反華裔人頭稅歷史性不公事件的團體，昨天在華埠喜士定街關隴西堂會所集會，共有數十名人頭稅受害者、親屬和後人出席。
華裔加人平權共進會（Association of Chinese Canadian for Equality and Soidarity)主席周明輝表示，聯邦自由黨政府試圖通過C-333法案，經由撥款1250萬元解決過去華人移民不公不義的歷史性問題。
周明輝強烈抨擊，政府當局宣稱與全加華人聯會達成和解共識，但實際並未與人頭稅苦主、家屬進行充份諮商，也未提出道歉、賠償的方案。
周明輝呼籲，受害人和家屬的要求很簡單，那就是「立刻平反人頭稅」，包括從聯邦撥款中拿出五百萬元，直接賠償人頭稅受害者。
自稱本身也是受害者後代的周明輝強調，不少人頭稅苦主感到被政黨政客「出賣」，其實他們力爭的是：要求還回公道和個人尊嚴。
出席人士包括不久前騎摩托車巡迴全國號召平反人頭稅的華裔老翁黃金煥，和可能是溫哥華地區碩果僅存的98歲高齡受害人關祥國，以及多名人頭稅苦主家屬，第二代及第三代子女。
現場人頭稅苦主家屬紛紛發言，質疑全加華人聯會的代表性，並高分貝呼籲各界向政府施壓，尋求平反和實質的賠償。
一名年輕人頭稅被害者後裔指出，政客和全加華聯串演的戲碼，說穿了就是企圖分裂華人社群，製造內部矛盾，速戰速決達成一項不公平的妥協措施。
前卑詩人權公署專員沈明麗表示，上世紀加拿大政府向華人課徵人頭稅，充滿種族歧視意味，她個人支持受害者及家屬追求平反的行動，希望現在的政府有誠心彌補過去的錯誤。
周明輝表示，馬田政府預計在本周與全加華人聯會正式和解，他希望爭取尊嚴及賠償的人頭稅苦主，趕快採取反制行動，阻止這類「和稀泥」式的協議方案。
周明輝表示，平權會和華裔加人平權共進會已蒐集約四千個連署簽名，他們將要求政府對每名人頭稅受害者及眷屬提出金錢賠償。多數連署者表示，希望得到來自政府的道歉和實質賠償。
平權會指出，從1885年至 1923年期間，約有8萬1000名希望抵加的華人，須支付總額 2300萬元的人頭稅，如今這筆數字價値估計已超過10億加元°
【圖片】：華裔加人平權共進會周明輝 （中）、人頭税受害者代表黃金煥（右），及人權倡議代表沈明麗，主持平反人頭税會議。
（吳祥光攝）
English translation: Relevant Societies Resist the Agreement of Head Tax
The CCNC Questioned the Authority of the NCCC, Calling the Head Tax Payers and their Families to Redress Dignity from the Federal Government
Reported by Wu Xiangguang from Vancouver
The members of the CCNC (Chinese Canadian National Council) and the Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity gathered at Vancouver yesterday, calling on the head tax payers and their families to unite and oppose the deal reached between the federal government and the NCCC (National Congress of Chinese Canadians).
The societies that request the redressing of the head tax, a historically unfair treatment of Chinese Canadians, gathered yesterday at 164 E. Pender, Vancouver Chinatown with dozens of head tax payers, their families and descendants.
Zhou Minghui, chairman of the Association of Canadians for Equality and Solidarity, said that the Federal Liberal government tried to solve the historical problem of unjust treatment of Chinese immigrants through Bill C-333, that is, by paying $12.5 million.
Zhou Minghui strongly criticized the federal government for alleging that they had reached a consensus with the NCCC without fully consulting the head tax payers and their families. The government did not propose an apology or any individual compensation plan.
Zhou Minghui made the appeal that the requests of the victims and their families were very simple, that is, “immediately reversing the head tax”, including paying five million dollars from what was federally appropriated to the victims and their families.
Zhou, himself a descendant of a victim, stressed that many head tax payers and their families felt that they had been betrayed by the politicians of certain parties. In fact, they are asking for a redress of justice and personal dignity.
The attendees included a senior named Huang Jinhuan, who had recently toured the country by riding a motorcycle in a campaign for the reversal of the head tax. The attendees also included the only remaining 98-year-old victim, Guan Xiangguo, in Vancouver, as well as a group of families of head tax payers, who are their second and third generation children.
The family members of head tax payers spoke in succession, questioning the authority of the NCCC to represent all Chinese Canadians. They strongly request that all sectors seek formal redress and substantial compensation from the government.
A young descendant of a head tax victim pointed out that some politicians and the NCCC acted out in an attempt to split the Chinese community, create internal contradictions, and quickly reached an unfair compromise.
Shen Mingli, a former member of the BC Human Rights Coalition, said that in the last century the Canadian government collected the head tax only from Chinese immigrants. This action was very racially discriminatory. She personally supports the victims and their families in pursuing redress. She hopes that the current government can make up for the mistakes of the past in a sincere way.
Zhou Minghui said that the Martin government expects to formally reach a deal with the NCCC this week. He called on all the head tax victims and their families who seek dignity and individual compensation to quickly take counter-actions to prevent such a "reconciliation regardless of principles".
Zhou Minghui said that the CCNC and the Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity have collected about 4,000 signatures. They will request that the government provides economic compensation to each of the head tax victims and their families. Most of the people who signed the appeal said that they would like to receive a formal apology and substantial compensation from the government.
The CCNC pointed out that between 1885 and 1923, about 81,000 Chinese who wished to enter Canada paid the head tax, for a total of 23 million dollars. Today, the figure is estimated to exceed 1 billion Canadian dollars.
[Photo]: Zhou Minghui, from the Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity (middle), Huang Jinhuan, the representative of the head tax victims (right), and Shen Mingli, the representative of the Human Rights Coalition (left) chaired the meeting. (photographed by Wu Xiangguang)
